Band-saw mill



(No Model.) 3 sheets-sheet 2.,

W. M. WILKIN.

vBAND SAW MILL. No. 406,322. Patented July 2, 1889..

@vih/wonen I I JM/WMO@ (N Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

VWM. WILKIN.

' BAND SAW MILL.

No. 406,322. Patented July 2, 1889.vv

Mine f I'zfnlor.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM M. WILKIN, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

BAN D-SAW MILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,322, dated July 2, 1889.

Application filed December 17, 188B. Serial No. 293,865. (No model.)

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, WrLLrAi/rA M. WILKIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Band-Saw Mills; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to band-saw mills; and it consists in the improvements in the construction thereof, as will be hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the specification and claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, as follows: l

Figure 1 is an elevation view looking in the direction of the travel of the log-carriage. Fig. 2 is an elevation View looking across the line of traverse of the log-carriage. Fig. 3 shows details of construction which will be explained in place. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a part of the frame-work, taken on the line 0c in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of the cross-arm A3 of the frame-work, taken on the line 'y y in Fig. l, and shows the internal construction of the adjusting mechanism. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of a fragment of the frame-work, taken on the line z z in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the same fragment, taken transversely of the arm Agon the line ww in Fig. 6, with the internal works in elevation. Figs.' S, 9, l0, Il, l2, and I3 are similar to Figs. 5, 6, and 7, and show alternative construction of the adjusting mechanism.

The construction is as follows, reference being had to the letters of reference marked on the drawings. There is the common supporting frame-work A and base-plate A', or

husk, as it is commonly called. Mounted on the husk is a T-shaped column A2 A3, of which A2 is the shaft and A3 the cross-arm. On this cross-arm are mounted two hollow posts A4 A4, and from the outer end of the cross-arm there depends a hanger A5, which supports the outer end of the lower bandwheel shaft. This outer hanger is not an es sential feature, for, if desired, an inner bearing can be used which willv support the end of the shaft. An outer bearing is, however,

preferable. ln the top of the posts A4 A4 are telescopically fitted bearing-posts D D, which carry j ournal-boxes D' D', which are pivoted at d, so as to tip in the plane of the shaft which they support. These telescoping studs are supported on screw shafts G, which have worm-wheels g thereon,which gear into worms on the shaft I.

B is the lower or driving band-wheel,which is mounted on a shaft b, which has its outer bearing in the hanger A5.

B' is the upper or driven band-wheel,which is mounted on the shaft b',which has its bearings in the journal-boxes D' above described. On the cross-arm A3, just inside of the bandwheel B', is erected a post and arm E, which carries the saw-guide E2 and its actuating mechanism, which will be explained further The inner bearings of the driving bandwheel shaft b are secured to the under side ofthe husk. One of these bearings or supports is marked AG, and is shown in detail in Fig. 3. Its peculiarity consists in the manner in which it holds the journal-boxes a' a' between guide-lips a2 a2, so that the boxes have free vertical action, thus allowing vertical adjustment of the shaft, but holding it against lateral vibration.

In Fig. l I show an arm K, extending from4 the post E back to the saw at the point where it is about passing on the driven pulley B'. This arm carries a roller K', which runs upon the back of the saw and serves to keep the saw in place on the driven pulley. Heretofore it has been common to apply a roller to the back of the saw at about the point where it leaves the upper band-wheel, and great difficulty has been experienced in obtaining any beneficial result from them. I have found that by placing this roller at about the point where the saw runs 'upon the upper bandwheel the desired effects are perfectly accomplished.

Constructing the upper frame-work in the manner I do, as shown,I find to be a very great improvement. It will be observed that there is no large mass of metal above the point where the saw does its work, the crossarm A3 being in the same horizont-al plane as the log to be sawed, and the fram e-work above it being very light and yet very strong. The

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shaft A2, which supports the cross-arm, has a Very wide firm base, and it thoroughlybraces the cross-arm against any lateral strain. The cross-arm A3 and the shaft A2 are cast in one piece, or, preferably, should be, and this gives a iirm support for the outer post A4 and the outer hanger A5, which form the outer supports of the two shafts b and b. The entire vertical adjustment of the upper wheel is effected by the screw-shafts G G and their supports. The adjustment of the upper wheel to the length of the saw is effected by turning' the shaft I, which revolves the screw-shafts G simultaneously. Then this adjustment is properly effected,the proper tension upon the saw is maintained by weights acting upon levers, which carry the supportsl of the screws G, this in effect sustaining the upper bandwheel flexibly on scale-beams. Broadly, it is not new to so support either one or both ends of the upper wheel-shaft, as will be seen by examining the following Letters Patent of the United States: No. 120,9-19, dated November 14,1s71,N0.151,10G,May19,1S71,N0.191,225, August 14, 1877, No.278,93"-,June 5,1883,No. 301,095, July l, 1884, No. 368,731, August 23, 1887, and No. 369,881, September 13, 1887, my invention in this particular' consisting in the construction and arrangement of the parts by which I effect the desired result.

In the accompanying' drawings I show several alternative constructions of scale-gearin g for flexibly supporting the upperband-wheel shaft, which are equivalents of each other and will be explained in place farther on.

The essential feature of t-he apparatus is that the upper band-wheel and mechanism by which it is adiusted with reference to the length of the saw are supported flexibly on an automatic tension device. Broadly, this is not new. as it is done in band-saws used for scroll sawing; but the constructions there used are inapplicable to large saw-mills of the class to which my invention relates, and heretofore large mills have been made with the tension mechanism vertically adjustable with and supported on the upper band-wheel supporting fram e-work. My constru ction in this particular is as follows:

The frame-work A2 ASAL A"1 is fixed and immovable, but the posts A4 A4 are made extensible by having telescoping parts D D, which slide within or upon said posts vertically. These teleseoping posts are adapted to receive the boxes of the shaft b', and they are moved vertically by screw-shafts G G, which are revolved simultaneously by a worm-shaft I and worm-wheels g. rIhese screw-shafts move the telescoping parts D and the shaft supported thereon to effcctthe vertical adjustment necessary to accommodate saws of various lengths, and they have their supports on a scale-gear, which gives them automatic vertical adjustment in parallelism, so as to give proper tension upon the saw. Vhen it is desired to tilt the shaft b', so as to properly train the saw on the wheel 3', it may be effected by throwing one of the worm-wheels I on the shaft I out of gear with the worin-wheel g, as is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5, or in any other manner which will be efficient.

The automatic tension giving support for the screw-shafts may be variousl y constructed, and I do not desire to be limited to any particular construction. In the accompanying' drawings I show it constructed as follows: A rock-shaft II extends from end to end of the cross-arm A2, and has arms lil II extending from it, on which rests the ends of the screwshafts G G. In the construction shown in Figs. 5, G, and 7 one of these arms ll is extended, and rests upon a second lever 112, which is connected with a weight-lever 1I3 by a link 71,-. In the construction shown in Figs. 8, 9, and 10 one of the arms II is extended and connects directly with the weight-lever II3 by the link 7L. In the construction shown in Figs. ll., 12, and 13 there is a separate arm II'l extending' from the shaft II, and this is connected with the weight-lever Il.3 by the link 7L. These modifications are practically alike,but go to show thatmanymodifications are possible.

The saw-guide E2 is in the form of an arm, which extends from a sliding bar E2, which slides in the head E on the arm E. The means for movin g this slide is a screw F, which is j ournaled in a bracket E" on the arm E back of the head E', which screws intoanut c2 on the back of the slide l1". The screw F has a beveled pinion f below its journal, and a pinion f on the shaft F meshes with it. On the opposite end of the shaft F is another bcveled gear f2, which gears with a like gear f3 on the upright shaft F2. On thelower end of the shaft F2 there is a friction-gear f4, which engages with a like friction-gear on the horizont-al shaft F2. A lever F5 is provided for moving the shaft F2, so as to bring the frictiongear f in contact with one or the other of the friction-gears on the sh`aft F3. The shaft Fs is the shaft used for drivingaclearance-roller R, commonly used.

Referring again to the construction of the frame, I will say that it is not essential that the cross-arm A3 extend back of the shaft A2 and form a T, strictly, for if it is desired the shaft A2 may be coextensive in depth with the part A3. The essential feature of this construction is that the part A2 extends out between the two Wheels l5 and l5 and forms a support for an outer post A", and a support also for the leg A when that part is wanted. I am aware that the outer end of the upper shaft b has been supportedl by an arm, or, as itis called by some, a goose-neck, extendin from the column out under the upper wheel and up to the shaft, and I do not intend to claim such a construction.

The distinction between my construction and others is that in them the outer support of the upper band-Wheel moves vertically with the Wheel, while in my construction itis fixed, being supported by the fixed arm A2.

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Vhat I claim as new is-\ l. In a band-saw mill, the eombinatiomwith the supporting frame-work and husk or bed and the upper and lower band-wheels and shafts, of a T-shaped Column A2 A3, which is mounted on said bed or husk and has one of its arms extended out between the two bandwheels in position to sustain the supports of the outer ends of the band-wheel shafts.

2. In a band-saw-mill frame, the Combination, with the base A', of a fixed column oomposed of the shaft A2 and the cross-arm A2, seated on said base, the outer hanger of the lower band-wheel depending,` from the lower side of the outer end of said cross-arm, and the posts which support the upper bandwheel mounted at the ends of said cross-arm.

5. In a band-saw-mill frame, 'the Combination of a base-support A, a base A', a T-shaped oolu mn A2 A3, mounted on said base, an outer hanger A5, depending from the cross-arm-ofV said column, a shaft b, supported at it-s outer end by the said hanger A5 and at its inner end by a hanger depending from said base A and held against lateral vibration by a hanger A6, havin g' ways d2, for vertically moving boxes a, said hanger A6 being' between the outer hanger A5 and the driving-pulley on said shaft and attached to said base.

6. In a band-saw mill, the combination of a fixed cross-arm extending out between the upper and lower band-wheels, a hanger A5 on the outer end of said cross-arm, for supporting,` the outer end of the lower band-wheel shaft, and extensible supports for the upper lband-wheel shaft mounted on the ends -of said Cross-arm.

In testimonyT whereof I affix my signature 1n presence of two witnesses.

vIVILLIAM M. VILKIN.

lVitnesses:

JNO. K. HALLooK, WM. P. HAYES. 

